UK Retail Sales Rise Unexpectedly

(RTTNews) - UK retail sales grew unexpectedly in March as good weather boosted sales of clothing and outdoor retailers, the Office for National Statistics said Friday.

Retail sales grew 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, confounding expectations for a decline of 0.3 percent.

However, this was slower than the 0.7 percent increase in February and marked the third consecutive increase.

Excluding auto fuel, retail sales gained 0.5 percent after a 0.7 percent rise. Sales were expected to drop 0.4 percent.

On a yearly basis, retail sales growth advanced to 2.6 percent from 1.8 percent in February. Similarly, core retail sales growth improved to 3.3 percent from 1.8 percent.